I don't regret anything about that itinerary, though for most people I would probably recommend skipping Osaka as an overnight destination and seeing the highlights as a daytrip from Kyoto. I loved Osaka, but we also prioritized being there overnight on the weekend so we could go clubbing. If you're not trying to party and just want to sightsee, it's probably not worth an overnight stay at the expense of more nights in Kyoto/Tokyo or perhaps a more off-the-beaten path spot.

u will neeevvvveeeer have 'enough time' for tokyo so just roll with it. deciding on kyoto vs osaka however depends entirely on what ur after. i spent six months on exchange in osaka and also didnt feel like that was enough lol.

i have lots of friends that post pix on facebook of 'whirlwind' tours doing a city a day or like three days and it makes me want to scream.

Given that the cost/logistics of getting to Japan from North America or Europe, the amount of vacation time most people have to work with, and the relative ease of getting around Japan, it is better-suited for covering a lot of ground than most places you can visit. Realistically that two week trip is all most people will ever get. Make the most of it.

That said, some people take that way too far. DO NOT spend time lurking /r/JapanTravel. Don't even search it for advice. Those people are insane.

I mean, I'm guessing that Tokyo will be the focus of the trip but I want to see something else besides just the biggest city and a representation of something else. Like to be silly about it, I've wanted to go to Takamatsu after reading Kafka on the Shore years and years ago

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Hi, I'm Kenny. I'm a Sagittarius and I love old video games and drinking craft beers.

Kenny wrote:I mean, I'm guessing that Tokyo will be the focus of the trip but I want to see something else besides just the biggest city and a representation of something else. Like to be silly about it, I've wanted to go to Takamatsu after reading Kafka on the Shore years and years ago

I'm saying, you can see a lot! To put a finer point on it, as amazing as Tokyo is, you are massively shortchanging yourself if you spend more than half of a two-week trip there IMO.

Spend some time in Kyoto and you still have a few days to follow your whimsy to places like Takamatsu.

My opinion could not have changed more since page one of this thread. It turns out that being with a group of rowdy students living in Greater Tokyo makes the Tokyo experience far less enjoyable. Going there by myself made me appreciate the city in ways that were impossible in a group. I definitely think you should spend as much time in Tokyo as possible.

I love Kyoto fwiw, but for different reasons. There are more shrines and temples than you can see in a week and they're all beautiful. Wherever you choose to spend your time, for the love of god do not rush yourself. The last time I was there was for a wedding and I let the groom plan the last leg of the trip and he just wanted to hit up every possible shrine and temple in a 5-day window which meant that we were only spending about two hours per location and couldn't go down certain paths because they were too long. We took a bullet train to Hiroshima just so we could spend an hour at Itsukushima. It was the worst. Don't do that.

I really loved it. It's quite small and feels quiet relative to any other city we went to. The gardens were incredible and a highlight of the trip for sure - just thinking about them makes me happy. The 21st century art museum is really cool, and I'd recommend the DT Suzuki museum as well. Suzuki helped to popularize and educate the west about Zen buddhism, and the museum is an account of his life and philosophy. It's not far away from the castle/gardens/21st century museum, and it's a very interesting building and the entire space is extremely Zen. Also, the samurai district and Geisha districts are great and very intact (Kanazawa was untouched during the war). You can basically walk anywhere within 20 minutes... It's sleepy but we really liked that about it.

Food was amazing - best burger I've ever eaten in my life at Godburger (the guy who runs it is a sweetheart), great sushi at Kourin sushi (near Kanazawa castle), and we tried Kanazawa style curry (at Turban curry, which I believe invented it? I might have misunderstood) based on Godburger dude's recommendation and it was really good (it's very caramel-y and delicious; pretty different from other Japanese curries). Oh and if you like coffee my wife raved about Curio cafe (which is near Omicho market). Oh yeah, Omicho market was cool too.

Random recommendation: walk around the Geisha districts and around the castle at night. The lighting is really cool and it's super quiet.

My understanding was that it’s really only a problem with onsen or sento (everyone I visited had warning signs posted). I can’t imagine they’d bar you from an art museum for having a tattoo. Where are you reading that?

Traveling solo, trying to figure out an itinerary. I fly in/out of Tokyo, and am thinking of spending about 5 nights there, then going to Kyoto, then maybe trying to find a quiet place to stay in rural central Japan where I can read books and go on biking tours and look at mountains. Any tips for good quiet places are appreciated =)

Gonna be in Tokyo September 4-10 for work and I’m stoked as hell. I’ll probably spend any free time I get shopping so I’d appreciate any reccs for good camera or guitar shops if anybody knows any. I’ll comb through this thread for other stuff too.